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Manipulation of atoms across a surface at room temperature

Nature volume 404, pages 743–745 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

Since the realization that the tips of scanning probe microscopes can interact with atoms at surfaces, there has been much interest in the possibility of building or modifying nanostructures or molecules directly from single atoms1. Individual large molecules can be positioned on surfaces2,3,4, and atoms can be transferred controllably between the sample and probe tip5,6. The most complex structures7,8,9,10,11 are produced at cryogenic temperatures by sliding atoms across a surface to chosen sites. But there are problems in manipulating atoms laterally at higher temperatures—atoms that are sufficiently well bound to a surface to be stable at higher temperatures require a stronger tip interaction to be moved. This situation differs significantly from the idealized weakly interacting tips12,13 of scanning tunnelling or atomic force microscopes. Here we demonstrate that precise positioning of atoms on a copper surface is possible at room temperature. The triggering mechanism for the atomic motion unexpectedly depends on the tunnelling current density, rather than the electric field or proximity of tip and surface.

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Figure 1: STM image, 60 Å × 60 Å, of Br on Cu(100).
Figure 2: Image taken immediately after Fig. 1, showing the same atoms marked A,B,C and D.
Figure 3
Figure 4: Vertical section through an image along the track of a single moving atom.
Figure 5: Controlled positioning of a single atom at room temperature.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Welland, T. Todorov and D. Eigler for comments. The apparatus used in this work was originally funded by EPSRC.

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Author notes

  1. A. Oral

    Present address: Department of Physics, Bilkent University, 06533, Ankara, Turkey

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH , UK

    T. W. Fishlock, A. Oral & J. B. Pethica

  2. Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QR, UK

    R. G. Egdell

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Fishlock, T., Oral, A., Egdell, R. et al. Manipulation of atoms across a surface at room temperature. Nature 404, 743–745 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35008030

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